Her Confidant
by Emily Bell
Summary: Dawn is stealing things and needs somebody to confide in. my version of "Older and Far Away" and before
1. Default Chapter

Spike looked up in surprise when the door to his crypt flew open. He grabbed the crossbow off of the table and stood in a defensive stance.  
"Who's there?" he called carefully aiming at the door. But then he heard the familiar sniffling and lowered the weapon. "Nibblet? Is that you?" Dawn flounced into the room and collapsed into Spike's armchair in tears.  
"What's wrong pet?" he said, walking over and stroking her hair awkwardly. "Oh Spike, I just have to tell someone. I just can't take it anymore!" she managed to choke out before a fresh wave of tears took over. Spike picked her up and sat down in her place putting her in his lap. "Its alright nibblet, what is it? You can tell me." Dawn looked up from his shoulder and took a deep breath. "I've.. I've been.." "What for god's sake, it cant be that bad!" Spike was starting to get impatient. "I've been stealing things!!!!! From the Magic Box and everywhere else in town!" she wailed. 'That's it?!' Spike thought to himself 'That's what you're bawling you eyes out over on my shirt?' But he said " Well alright pet.uh.. what do you want me to do about it?" Dawn didn't answer. She just started crying all over his shirt again. "Shh. It's alright pet. We'll sort it all out. Shh." He soothed rocking back and forth with her. Finally her sobs subsided into soft hiccups. "What do I do Spike?" 'Keep the stuff' He thought to himself, but knowing Buffy would slaughter him later said "Well I think you know. You have to tell Buffy, then you have to return the stuff you nicked" She nodded and sighed shakily. "Will you come with me to tell her?" Dawn turned her huge puppy eyes on him. "Yeah alright. Tomorrow after the little birthday bash you and I will tell big sis."  
  
'God she's gonna kill me' he thought to himself. "Thanks Spike, thanks so much" she said hugging him on last time before getting up off his lap and heading towards the door. "Wait a sec nibblet, you cant walk home all by yourself. I'll walk you." "Yeah Spike because your soooo bad" she said rolling her eyes. "I am bad!! Say it!" he argued "Sure Spike." 


	2. House Arrest

"OK so obviously there's something keeping us in this house." Buffy said looking around.  
  
The Birthday party had turned into a sleepover and no one could seem to get out of the house no matter what they did.  
  
"I really have to go. I've got a shift at the doublemeat." Sophie said looking freaked out. "I've got classes" said Willow, and Tara nodded. "I know I know. We've all got more important things to do. We just have to think." Buffy said trying to reassure herself.  
  
Dawn was starting to get mad.  
  
"Yeah cuz being stuck in here with me, that would really suck right?" she glared at everyone.  
  
"No Dawnie its just we all have more important things.."  
  
Dawn cut Willow off  
  
"Yeah important. Whatever that means right" she yelled before running up to her room.  
  
Buffy, Willow, Tara, Xander, and Spike followed her.  
  
"Dawn do you know something? Did you do something?" Buffy accused.  
  
Dawn spun around. " No! I didn't to anything!"  
  
Tara stepped in. " Dawn, its ok no ones going to be mad. We want to to feel like you can talk to us."  
  
Dawn was on the verge of tears. " God! I didn't do anything! But I wish I had! How else am I supposed to get anybody to spend any time with me!"  
  
Buffy was trying to control her own temper. "Dawn. If you want us to spend time with you"  
  
"I don't" she answered through clenched teeth. "Get out"  
  
No one moved.  
  
" GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!" she screamed  
  
"Spike." She called him back before she started crying.  
  
He came back in and put an arm around her shoulders and let her cry on his chest. When she had calmed down, she pulled back.  
  
" That might not have been the best way to start the conversation." Dawn said smiling a little  
  
Spike laughed. "Yeah well we'll wait until this whole house arrest thing blows over and THEN we'll talk about the stealin thing. Alight?"  
  
She just nodded against his shoulder. 


	3. The Talk

Hey guys sorry its taken me soooo long to update. But im doing it now so be happy. Lol.

Dawn sat in her room thinking about what she was going to say to Buffy. 'How can I possibly explain' she thought. 'Buffy doesn't even really know me. None of them do. They think im just like they were when they were my age. They never bothered to actually get to know the real me. Spike is the only one who did that. They don't know how much losing mom affected me, or the thoughts that I have when im alone……sometimes when I look out my window at the ground, it doesn't seem so far away….and it would be so easy to just….jump…then I could fly…'

"Dawn!" she jumped as she heard Buffy's voice echoing up the stairs.

"What!" she called back irritably. Buffy came up the stairs and entered Dawn's room. "You could knock ya know" she snapped

"We're not locked in anymore and I would like you to come downstairs so I can talk to you…..please." Buffy looked at her as if she was a ticking bomb. Dawn hated that look.

She sighed " Where's Spike? He didn't leave did he?"

At that Buffy looked irritated. "No he's skulking around downstairs. I don't know why hes hanging around. Its not like hes getting anything from me tonight" Buffy looked at Dawn as if she had forgotten she was there " Or, um, ever. You know what I mean."

"Whatever Buffy, I'm going downstairs to talk to Spike for a minute" Dawn could tell buffy was about to protest so she got up and walked briskly past her and down the stairs.

She found him in the kitchen struggling with a bag of popcorn. Dawn noticed that there were several other rather singed looking bags scattered around the kitchen, which smelled of burned rubber, indicating his previous attempts to cook.

"Ugh, Spike, what are you doing? Our kitchen smells like a campfire."

He glared at her. " Sorry luv, its not MY fault popcorn doesn't come with bloody instructions."

Dawn rolled her eyes " Um, ok Mr. Chef, Buffy said she wants to "talk" to me so…..I think its now or never." She was becoming extremely nervous again.

Spike abandoned his burned mess and walked over to her. "Alright then. Lets go. But remember. I had nothing to do with this whatsoever. I never encouraged you to steal, or sneak out of your house, or do any of the other little teenage hormonal things you've been up to. Remember to tell big sis that I'm a lovely bloke….who…umm..taught you about Shakespeare….and school things…like that…alright?"

"Whatever Spike" she replied, her mood lightening a little.

Then she heard "DAWN I'M WAITING!" from the living room and her stomach turned to ice.

Spike noticed. "Come on now luv. Buffy loves you, and she'll understand. It may take time, but we'll fix this alright?" He gave her a squeeze and they walked into the living room together.

Buffy was sitting on the couch, tapping her foot impatiently. "Finally. Spike, you can leave now. Dawn, we need to talk. Now I know that you've been feeling left out lately and I'm sorry. Its just that everything has been happening at once and.."

Dawn cut her off "BUFFY. Stop. I need to talk to YOU first. And Spike is staying. For me."

Buffy looked irritated. " Why do you need Spike here…..Oh God…DAWN ARE YOU PREGNANT?"

Once again Dawn rolled her eyes " No Buffy, I'm not. Will you just listen please?"

Buffy sat back down and had a look that said "Well, I'm waiting"

Dawn took a deep breath. Then she let it all out. She told Buffy everything. About the stealing and the lying and even the sneaking out at night. By the end of her story she was nearly in tears and the look on Buffy's face wasn't helping. Spike just sat back and watched, not wanting to get in the way of the sisterly bonding he knew would have to go on to make this ok.

There was a long silence. " Dawn" Buffy said slowly. " ….Why? why would you go to Spike with this? Why on earth didn't you come to me?" She looked slightly hurt

This knocked Dawn out of her tears and pissed her off. "When Buffy? Huh? WHEN am I supposed to talk to you? In between your shifts at the Hell Palace? After you come home from that place so exhausted and depressed that you don't even notice I'm in the house? Or at your Scooby meetings? Oh wait, I'm not ALLOWED at those. Look Buffy, I know you've been having a hard time this year, but God! So have I! First I lost my mother, then I lost you! Then you finally come back and I thought everything was going to get better. But no. Then I find out that you don't even WANT to be here with me!"

Dawn finished her rant and did what she does best. Ran up to her room and slammed the door. Once in her room she flopped down on her bed and screamed into her pillow. 'Well that's pretty much how I expected it to go.' She thought.

Back in the living room Buffy looked helplessly at Spike. " I can't believe this. I had no idea she was so…..lost. I can't believe how selfish I've been. Shes right! She's right about everything! Oh god…What are we gonna do." She buried her face in her hands.

Spike sighed to him self. 'Why am I always the one taking care of these bloody summers girls?' Then he smirked. 'Just lucky I guess.'

He crossed the room and sat down on the couch next to her. " Oh come one now luv, its not that bad. At least she told you. And she wants to fix it. So the ball's in your court. SHE reached out to YOU. And maybe things can get better now. For both of you. I know that's what I'd like to see happen….. So what are you gonna do about it?"

Buffy looked at him. She had never seen this side of Spike before. This wise, caring, sensitive man. " Thank you Spike. Seriously. I really appreciate the way you look out for her……and for me" She smiled sheepishly.

Spike tried to hold back a grin."Right. Well I'm off. Do what you have to do. And I'll uh…see you later. I hope" He winked at her before walking out the door into the night.


End file.
